No move as of now to put curbs on suburban train travel: BMC official

At present there was no proposal to put any restrictions on suburban train travel in Mumbai, a senior civic official said on Monday as the city records a surge in new coronavirus cases.

Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, said though the number of daily COVID-19 cases and positivity rate have been increasing in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was working on preventive measures and was ready to handle any crisis. Talking to the media, he said at present there was no proposal to put any curbs on suburban train travel. If needed, the Maharashtra government will take a decision on the issue in consultation with the state task force on COVID-19 as it pertains to the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Kakani said. He said at present 90 per cent of the coronavirus patients are asymptomatic and only 4 to 5 per cent patients are being admitted to hospitals and the number of serious cases is negligible. Out of 30,500 hospital beds in Mumbai, only 3,500 beds are currently occupied. Also, adequate oxygen supply, medicines, ventilators, ICU facility and hospital beds are available, the civic officer said. On Monday, Mumbai recorded 8,082 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily count since April 18, 2021, and two deaths. In the last one week, the metropolis has logged a 10-fold rise in fresh cases.